Folding cot.



A. M, FERGUSON.

FOLDING COT.

APPLICATION FILED DEC.23, 1912.

Patented Feb; 1, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I- Inv 0 60 7"; it/$27 a W W Witnesses:

A. M. FERGUSON.

FOLDING cor.

, APPLICATION FILED DEC.23, I912. 1,170,229. Patented Feb. 1, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

IWPW Mm,

uflttorne TED sT Es PATENT 0m ARTHUR M; FERGUSON, or BURLINGTON, KANsAs, AssIe on. T0 GOLD MEDAL CAMP FURNITURE MANUFACTURING 00., OF KACINE, WISCONSIN, A'CORPORATION OF WISCONSIN.

' FOLDING cor,

Patented Feb. 1, 1916.

Application filed December 23, 1912.- Serial No. 738,187.-

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ARTHUR M. FERGUSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Burlington, in the county of Coffey and State of Kansas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Folding Cots, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, forming a part thereof.

This inventionrelates more particularly tov folding camp beds or cots having side rails each composed of two sections pivotally connected with'each other and three pairs of folding legs.

Its main objects are to enable such beds or cots to be folded intoshorter. compass without increasingthe number of legs, and at the same time to provide for their extension when unfolded to the ordinary or standand length.

It consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of parts, as hereinafter'particularly described and pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanyin -drawing like characters designate the same parts in the several figures.

Figure 1 is a plan view of a folding or col- .lapsible cot embodying the invention, the cot being unfolded and set up; Fig. 2 is aside elevation of the same; Fig. 3 is an end elevation on an enlarged scale as viewed from the left relative to Figs. 1 and 2, the fabner ends by hinge joints and three pairs of folding legs I) andc, connected at their upper ends by hinge joints with the side rails,

one pair at or adjacent to the inner ends of said sections, and two pairs at the outer ends thereof. The legs I; and c of each pair are preferably crossed and pivotally connected with each other at or near the middle, as

shown in Figs. 3 and 5, by S-shaped or reversely bent metal plates (1, riveted or otherwise fastened to opposlte sides of adjacent ends of the sections of the legs a and byriv-- ets or pins ej secured at the ends in said rails by L-shaped metal plates plates and passing loosely through the inter-' vening legs I). This connection permits the legs of each pair to be folded snugly against and parallel with each other, and limits'their unfolding by the abutment of the inner ends of'the sections of legs 0 against opposite sides of the legs b.

The end legs are connected with the side which are riveted or otherwise fastened to opposite sides of the legs in planes parallel with said rails, and extend beyond the adj acent ends of thelegs andlaterally therefrom toward adjacent ends of the rails, and are r and a of which are parallel with the extended side rails and are pivotally fastened thereto by rivets or pins 21 secured at their ends in said plates, and passing loosely through the interposed rail sections.

The folding cot. frame as thus far described, is of a well known construction and design except that the rail sections are shorter, and the offset limbs of the hinge plates f are longer and broader. to permit the folding of the end extension between the side rails and adjacent end legs and to brace and stay said extension when unfolded, as hereinafter explained, and no claim thereto per se is herein made. To permit the shortening of the, rail sections so that the cot may be folded into a shorter length and placed in a case or chest of a prescribed length in accordance with present United States Army regulations, without increasing the number of legs, and at'the same time to make the cot when unfolded and set up, of the required or desired length, it is provided with a folding end extension comprlsing side bars j and a detachable or removable cross bar It.

The side bars 7' are hinged at theirinner ends to rail sections a on the upper sides thereof, and at a distance from their outer ends by L-shaped metal plates 1, which are riveted or otherwise fastened to the rail sections on the same sides thereof as the plates f, and are pivotally fastened to the side extension bars by rivets or pins m, secured at 'their ends in the upwardly projecting limbs of said plates and passing loosely through said bars, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, as well as in the other figures of the drawing.

The offset limbs or arms of the hinge plates Z in which the rivets or pins m are secured, are of such a length that the bars 9' When unfolded as shown in Fig. 4, or when folded as shown in Fig. 5, will lie against or close to and parallel with the rail sections a along the upper sides thereof. The offset limbs or arms of the hinge plates f in which the rivets or pins 9 are secured, are of such length that the legs to which said plates are attached will fold as shown in Fig. 5, over and parallel with the folded bars 7', which when the cot is folded, lie between said legs and the rail sections a.

The plates f and Z are preferably flanged to embrace opposite sides of the legs and rail sections to which they are rigidly fastened, as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3. The plates f are made to project above the upper sides of the rail sections a to receive between them and to stay the bars y when the cot is unfolded, as shown in Fig. 4, the upper ends of the legs to which said plates are attached then abutting against the under sides of said rail sections. The outer ends of the folding bars j are formed or provided with tenons n, which fit into sockets in one of the removable cross bars 7a with which the cot is provided, to brace and hold them and the side rails apart when the cot is unfolded. I

The flexible fabric top or cover 0, with which the cot is provided is fastened along the sides to the rail sections a; and bars 7' and at the ends to the cross bars in, by open hems as shown, or by other suitable means.

To fold the cot, the cross bars 70 are removed from the rail sections a and extension bars j at the ends of the cot and withdrawn from the end hems of the top or cover 0, and the side rails and extension bars are brought together side by side, thereby folding the several pairs of legs 6 and 0 on their pivot connections e with each other, the top or cover 0 being drawn up from between the side rails and extension bars and folded longitudinally along the center. The extension bars 9' are then folded back upon the rail sections a, to which they are hinged, and the adjacent pair of end legs 5 is turned up and folded over the extension bars, as shown in Fig. 5. The other pair of end legs is turned up and folded upon the other rail sections a, the offset limbs or arms of the hinge plates if in which the pins g are secured, being 0 such length that said legs will fold flat upon and close to said rail sections. The rail sections a. are then folded on their pivots 71 against opposite sides of the middle pair of legs, the fabric top or cover 0 wrapped about the folded parts, the cross pieces assembled therewith, and the whole bound together in compact form by straps or the like (not shown) with which such cots are ordinarily provided. Obviously, the order of the operations above enumerated may be somewhat varied. The cot is unfolded and setup by a'reversal of the manipulations as above explained.

Various modifications in the minor details of construction and arrangement of parts of the cot may be made within the scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.

Iclaim:

1. A folding bed or cot comprising side rails and folding end legs hinged to the side rails and adapted to fold over the tops of said rails parallel therewith and at a distance therefrom, folding extension bars hinged at one end to the upper sides of said rails at a distance from their outer ends and adapted to be folded between and parallel with said rails and legs and to be unfolded upon and parallel with said rails beyond which they extend when unfolded.

2. A folding bed or cot comprising side rails and folding legs, folding extension bars hinged at their inner ends to the upper sides of said rails at a distance from their ends, and offset hinge plates connecting the legs with said rails and projecting, when the legs are unfolded, above the rails to embrace and-stay the unfolded extension bars, the folded legs being adapted to be folded over the tops of said rails parallel therewith and at a distance therefrom, and the extension bars being adapted to fold between and parallel with said rails and legs and to unfold upon, parallel with and beyond said rails.

In witness whereof I hereto aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ARTHUR M. FERGUSON.

Witnesses:

THoMAs ALLEN, EBEN BmmoUeHs. 

